Chapter 180 Secret Garden Rose

I put away the makeup mirror, the subtle warmth of the energy map still lingering on my fingertips. I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging energy and chaotic thoughts within me, and leaned against the wall to stand. Xiaobai purred softly and nudged his head against my leg, his dark green eyes filled with inquiry.

"It's okay, let's go back first." I rubbed its furry head, my voice still a little hoarse.

The journey back to the Black Dragon Gang's base was unusually smooth, and the Investigation Bureau remained silent. Perhaps Lin Hanning had employed some method, or perhaps they were temporarily distracted by the commotion of the museum's collapse, or perhaps Tomb Language was plotting something.

All in all, I can breathe a sigh of relief, but Lin Hanning's final warning is still like a thorn, making me dare not completely let down my guard.

…

After half a day's journey, the stronghold still maintained basic order, but the air was filled with a sense of tension and fear. Seeing me return, the guards immediately showed a look of relief and quickly opened the gate.

Bai Zang came out quickly. Seeing my pale face and the bloodstains on my clothes, his brows knitted tightly together. "What happened? Where did you go..."

"I ran into some trouble, but it's been resolved," I interrupted, trying to be as calm as possible. "To make a long story short, I'm going to be away for a while."

Bai Zang raised his eyebrows slightly, but his expression was far from relaxed.

I took him to a secluded place and didn't reveal the details of the Secret Garden Meeting. I only vaguely said, "There's a place I must go. It might be able to resolve our current predicament. My return date is uncertain. It could be a few days, or... maybe even longer."

Bai Zang's eyes narrowed, and he was silent for a moment. In the end, he didn't ask anything, but just said, "It's up to you to decide. I'm here."

I nodded and continued, "Again, if necessary, go find that group of people to cooperate."

I don't need to say much about the other things. The Black Dragon Gang is Bai Zang's hard work, and with Bai Zang's ability, it is only a matter of time before it becomes stronger.

I called Zhao Kui in alone again and told him to keep the believers stable and avoid being radical when spreading the doctrine. I should make any plans after I come back.

After arranging everything, I didn't stay for long, not even going into the room to rest. Time was tight, and Lin Hanning had emphasized that the "Salon" had a limited window of time.

Following the clear coordinates in my mind, I left the Black Dragon Gang with Xiaobai and headed towards an abandoned underground rail transit hub on the edge of the city. It had been abandoned for a long time, the entrance half-hidden by collapsed concrete and twisted steel bars, emitting the unpleasant smell of apocalypse.

This is it, the so-called salon access point.

Standing in front of the deep and dark entrance, I once again confirmed the map in my mind, then mobilized a bit of power and injected it into the void in front of me according to a specific frequency and structure.

…

As if an invisible switch had been triggered, the previously empty air ahead suddenly rippled like water. An elliptical portal of soft white light, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, silently emerged. Within the portal was an indistinct, vibrant shimmer.

Xiaobai took a step back warily and let out a low growl.

"Wait for me here. If I don't come out, you can go wherever you want."

After instructing Xiaobai, I took a deep breath, suppressed my curiosity and vigilance, and stepped into the light gate.

The feeling of weightlessness hit me instantly, but it wasn't like I was falling. Instead, I felt as if I were enveloped in some warm liquid, moving at high speed yet steadily. All around me were swiftly flowing, shapeless blocks of color and light.

This feels a bit like a teleportation or space-related ability.

After about ten seconds, my feet felt solid and the feeling of weightlessness disappeared.

I found myself standing in an extremely spacious, rotunda with astonishingly high ceilings.

The style of the hall is extremely unique, combining the ultimate sense of futuristic technology with classical luxury.

Complex data streams flowed across the mirror-smooth silver-white metal walls, while in the center of the hall stood a group of jade sculptures, seemingly antiques with a gentle texture. The dome was transparent, and outside, instead of the sky, lay a slowly rotating, brilliant galaxy, as if the entire hall were sailing through the depths of the universe.

Ha, it’s really luxurious, many times more luxurious than the Apocalypse Sect.

The air here is filled with a strange energy field, gentle and abundant, which seems to calm the restless Gali residual pollution in my body a little.

There were a few people scattered around the hall. They were dressed in different clothes, some wearing high-tech uniforms like Lin Hanning, some wearing simple robes, and some even wearing white research coats or high-end suits.

These people were either sitting quietly alone or talking in low voices in groups of two or three. Most of them looked calm and focused, and the energy fluctuations emanating from their bodies were, without exception, extremely powerful and restrained, far exceeding any evolver I had ever seen.

These people didn't seem overly surprised or hostile about my arrival. They just glanced at me, the newcomer, with a little scrutiny in their eyes, then quickly looked away and continued with their business.

Is this the salon of the "Secret Garden Club"? It's indeed different.

"Welcome to the Rose Salon, Miss Ji Ling." A gentle electronic voice echoed beside me. I turned and saw an elegant silver-white metal sphere suspended in the air, its surface shimmering with a faint blue light.

"Guide 07 is here for you. Ms. Lin Hanning has registered your temporary access rights. Would you like to go to the lounge first, go directly to the information area, or have me briefly introduce you to the salon's basic facilities and rules?"

I suppressed the shock and slight nervousness in my heart and tried to keep my voice calm: "Let's go to the information reading area first."

"As you wish. Please follow me."

Guide 07 floated lightly forward. I followed it, my eyes calmly scanning the other people in the hall.

These people...are they what Lin Hanning called, "people like me"?

Are there any of them who have "containers" or other special physiques?

This atmosphere made me feel a little relaxed, yet more excited.

I'm afraid everyone here has amazing secrets and powers.

The information reading area wasn't what I'd imagined a library to be. It was more like an immersive holographic ocean of information. There were no shelves, no physical books, only countless slowly flowing, ever-shifting streams of light and data, silently rotating through the space like living stars.

Some members stood at a specific "reading position", stretched out their fingers and lightly tapped a certain light stream, and the corresponding information unfolded like a waterfall, surrounding them, allowing them to read and understand silently.

"You can browse the public information library here at will," Facilitator 07 explained. "Just focus your mind and touch the light stream that interests you. If you need to inquire about specific content, you can also ask me directly."

I took a deep breath and without hesitation, focused my attention on the most core question: the nature of the cycle of reincarnation.